Regulatory Review

Ensuring Gubernatorial Oversight of Regulations

As the “CEO” of a state’s executive branch, governors are expected to effectively manage bureaucratic agencies and ensure those agencies serve the public’s best interest.

Unfortunately, the current situation is dire. An unwieldy and ever-expanding network of hundreds of agencies and hundreds of thousands of regulations have effectively constrained even the most upstanding and courageous governors. Red tape and complex regulatory frameworks led by those pursuing their own interests leave voters to wonder who is in charge—underscoring the urgent need for a solution.

Executive office leaders and their staffs need tools to reclaim that with which the electorate has entrusted them–the ability to govern effectively and efficiently.

Bureaucracies, the de-facto fourth branch of government, need checks and balances. Establishing a regulatory review office in the executive branch will do just that.

Independent regulatory oversight offices can do what a governor alone cannot—audit newly proposed regulations to determine their true cost, efficacy, and necessity before they are signed into law.

This would give the executive branch much-needed oversight of agencies it manages—and help elected leaders ensure the regulations they choose to sign into law produce good outcomes.